Best Bets: Law

Social Science Research Network (SSRN)Social Science Research Network (SSRN) indexes and abstracts research papers in the social sciences and contains working and forthcoming papers. Some are full text documents are available. Includes many free pre-pulication law review articles.

PACER Need to create an account to use; can be charged to your personal account if you use it a lot. Most cases can be found in LexisNexis; I use this for cases that are not yet decided and still in docket form.

E-Codes: Municipal Codes on the Internet Many counties and municipalities contract with General Code to disseminate local codes. Click on New York to find the codes for both the Town and the City of Ithaca.

Reference: General Resources

Citations:

Bluebook: A Uniform System of CitationThe most commonly used citation guide for legal researchers. Sometimes called the Harvard Bluebook. 19th ed. NOTE: if you use Zotero you can add the bluebook style to format your citations.

Dictionary of the Social SciencesThe over 1,800 entries in this dictionary contains definitions and biographies of major figures. Entries span from classic to modern theories and include major issues and methodologies.

CQ ResearcherComprehensive reporting and analysis on current issues in the news. Each report includes an introductory overview; background and chronology on the topic; an assessment of the current situation; tables and maps; pro/con statements from representatives of opposing positions; and bibliographies of key sources. Excellent backgound article on hot topics such as: immigration, drugs, gun control, abortion, etc.

Facts on File World News DigestFacts on File World News Digest provides Information on issues, events, and people from 1940 to the present. Features include country profiles, primary documents, key issues, newsmaker profiles, and newspaper editorials. The database incorporates World Almanac and Book of Facts.

Legal Research:

Legal research in a nutshellKF240 .C54 2010 St. Paul, MN : West/Thomson. Short and clear guide to legal research for the novice. This title is in stacks and can be checked out.

Legal Research IllustratedREF DESK PN4783 .A83 Mersky &Dunn's overview of how to conduct basic legal research is a classic primer. 9th ed.

New York Legal Research GuideREF KFN5074 .G53 2013 4th ed, 2013. The basic information needed to understand legal practice in New York state.

Websites:

American Memory: Century of Lawmaking Full-text of U.S. Congressional documents and debates from 1774-1875 including the Statutes at Large, American State Papers, U.S. Serial Set, Congressional Globe & Record, House and Senate Journals, and letters and journals from the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention.

American Presidency ProjectA digital archive of the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States from Hoover to Obama (1929 to present); see also IC Library stacks at: J80 .A283. The site also includes: inaugural addresses, radio addresses, fireside chats, debates, convention speeches, and party platforms.

Chesapeake ProjectAn archive of government and legal information from the following participants: Georgetown Law Library, Harvard Law School Library, Maryland State Law Library, and the Virginia State Law Library.

FindLawLegal news, forms, and articles on legal topics. Includes U.S. Supreme Court decisions from 1999- present. They offer legal news on their Legal Pulse page.

Google Scholar Use the bottom of the Advanced Search form to search for legal opinions and journals. The form allows you to limit by a specific court. Works well with Zotero (bibliographic management).

JustiaPortal to legal resources. Includes a directory for finding a lawyer.

Legal Information Institute (LII)Cornell University Law School website. Go to U.S. Code to find the useful Table of Popular Names. Researchers can look up the name of an act and find the corresponding USC and Public Law number.

United States Sentencing CommissionAn independent agency of the judicial branch which establishes sentencing polices, advises Congress the President on policies, and researches and analyzes issues. There are pages for research information, education and training, data and statistics, and publications.

Supreme Court of the United StatesThe official website of the Supreme Court provides recent and pending case opinions, the current calendar, oral argument transcripts and a docket database. Go to Oral Arguments > Argument Transcripts for transcripts. Go to Opinions > Bound Volumes to browse the U.S. Reports. Slip opinions are also available.

Armed Forces Court of Appeals and Courts of Criminal AppealsIncludes: United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces beginning in 1951, United States Court of Military Appeals beginning in 1951 and the United States Court of Criminal Appeals for the Coast Guard, Army, Navy-Marine and Air Forcebeginning in 1951 (from the LexisNexis source information).

United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces: OpinionsFrom the about page, "The Court, an independent tribunal established under Article I of the Constitution, regularly interprets federal statutes, executive orders, and departmental regulations. The Court also determines the applicability of constitutional provisions to members of the armed forces."

Constitutional Law

Books:

Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis, and InterpretationThe Constitution of the United States of America: Analysis and Interpretation contains legal analysis and interpretation of the United States Constitution, based primarily on Supreme Court case law. This regularly updated resource is especially useful when researching the constitutional implications of a specific issue or topic. The Featured Topics and Cases page highlights recent U.S. Supreme Court decisions that demonstrate pivotal interpretations of the Constitution's provisions.

Project CensoredStudents and faculty from Sonoma State University track overlooked news that appears in independent journals and newsletters. An annual list of the top 25 censored stories are compiled.

Crime Time OnlineCrimeTime is free sentencing software that helps in calculating permissible sentences for New York crimes. It was created by Mr. George M. Dentes. Users must enter their email and agree to terms prior to accessing the software.

National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD)Facilitates criminal justice research by making available data, reports, and publications. Includes data on capital punishment, violence against women, terrorism, and crime. Users can create an account. Some data is restricted to ICPSR members.

National Criminal Justice Reference Service (NCJRS): Abstracts DatabaseUS Dept of Justice, Office of Justice Programs site that is a portal to justice and substance abuse information useful for research and policy development. Topics include: corrections, courts, crime, crime prevention, drugs, the justice system, juvenile justice, law enforcement and victims. The collection of several thousand full-text publications, primarily government documents, can be searched.

United States Sentencing CommissionAn independent agency of the judicial branch which establishes sentencing polices, advises Congress the President on policies, and researches and analyzes issues. There are pages for research information, education and training, data and statistics, and publications.

Uniform Crime Reports (FBI)Annual statistical publications, including the comprehensive Crime in the United States, produced from data provided by nearly 17,000 law enforcement agencies across the United States. Also data from annual publications, such as Hate Crime Statistics and Law Enforcement Officers Killed and Assaulted.

ADA Home Page (United States Department of Justice)The Americans with Disabilities Act page by the Department of Justice provides tabs on the following interest areas: Design Standards, Information Line, Technical Assistance Program, Enforcement, Code Certification, Business Connection, Status Reports, New or Proposed Regulation, Mediation Program, and Publications. You can sign up to receive email updates.

Employment Laws & Assistance-U.S. Department of LaborThe elaws Advisors are interactive e-tools that provide easy-to-understand information about a number of federal employment laws. Each Advisor simulates the interaction you might have with an employment law expert. It asks questions and provides answers based on responses given.

U.S. Department of Labor-Disability ResourcesThe Department of Labor has several agencies that can help people with disabilities find meaningful work and launch successful careers, help employers hire people with disabilities, and help federal contractors stay within the law when hiring.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)The US EPA provides information on major environmental topics, including laws and regulations. The site includes a database that allows you to Search Your Environment by zipcode that includes public records.

NY Lower Court Cases from 1851Content summary from LexisNexis Academic: Decisions from the Apellate Terms of the Supreme Court, and the lower courts of the State of New York, including: The Supreme courts, County courts, Court of Claims, Family courts, Surrogate's courts, the District Court (Suffolk and Nassau counties), City courts, and the Town and Village Justice courts. Also includes decisions of the Civil Court of the City of New York, and the Criminal Court of the City of New York.

Google Scholar Use the bottom of the Advanced Search form to search for legal opinions and journals. The form allows you to limit by a specific court. Works well with Zotero (bibliographic management).

New York Red BookAnnual directory of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of New York government. The current edition is behind the reference desk. Most prior editions from 1897+ are in general stacks.

New York Legal Research GuideREF KFN5074 .G53 2013 4th ed, 2013. The basic information needed to understand legal practice in New York state.

New York Library: Digital CollectionsThe New York State Library began digitizing New York State government documents in 1995. Today the State Library's Digital Collections includes a substantial number of New York State publications, both contemporary materials from 1995 to the present and rare 18th and 19th century documents.

State and Local Government on the NetThe State and Local Government Internet directory provides convenient one-stop access to the websites of thousands of state agencies and city and county governments.

Government & Policy (Federal)

Primary (Codes, Bills, Regulations):

FDsys (GPO's Federal Digital System)The Government Printing Office's (GPO) Federal Digital System (FDsys) provides public access to government information submitted by Congress and Federal agencies. Search or browse for documents and publications. Use the Advance Search form to search by date or specific publication title (Congressional Record, Code of Federal Regulations, Federal Register, Bills, Hearings, the United States Code, etc.). Fulltext primary source documents are available in both PDF (downloadable) and XML formats.

Thomas - Legislative InformationDatabase of United States legislative information including: bills, resolutions, the Congressional Record, treaties, Committee Reports, Public Laws, Roll Call Votes, etc. ; see also: Congress.govContains United States legistative information. It plans to replace THOMAS.gov. There is currently a chart comparing of coverage dates between the two sources.

Code of Federal Regulations (CFR)Codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the departments and agencies of the Federal Government. The 50 subject matter titles contain one or more individual volumes, which are updated once each calendar year, on a staggered basis. Each title is divided into chapters, which usually bear the name of the issuing agency. Each chapter is further subdivided into parts that cover specific regulatory areas.

Regulations.govGovernment website for finding regulations issued by U.S. government agencies.

Google Scholar Use the bottom of the Advanced Search form to search for legal opinions and journals. The form allows you to limit by a specific court. Works well with Zotero (bibliographic management).

Federal News ServiceLexisNexis file containing: White House briefings and Presidential statements. Includes some Congressional hearings, National Press Club Speeches and conferences when they address major topics of current interest.

Military and Government CollectionCurrent news pertaining to all branches of the military: full-text journals, periodicals and pamphlets; indexing/abstracts for additional titles.

Reference:

Almanac of American PoliticsFrom the National Journal Group, this annual directory covers biographies of Congress & state governors; it also includes election results. Current ed. is at the Reference Desk. 1972+ General Stacks

Congressional Directory (U.S. Congress)Presents short biographies of each member of the Senate and House, listed by state or district, and additional data, such as committee memberships, terms of service, administrative assistants and/or secretaries, and room and telephone numbers. It also lists officials of the courts, military establishments, and other Federal departments and agencies, including D.C. government officials, governors of states and territories, foreign diplomats, and members of the press, radio, and television galleries.

Statistical Abstract of the United StatesHA202 .U5 The authoritative and comprehensive summary of statistics on the social, political, and economic organization of the United States. The final edition from the US Census is the 2012 edition. The current editions by ProQuest are in Reference behind the Research Help Desk.

American Presidency ProjectA digital archive of the Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States from Hoover to Obama (1929 to present); see also IC Library stacks at: J80 .A283. The site also includes: inaugural addresses, radio addresses, fireside chats, debates, convention speeches, and party platforms.

C-SPANNon-profit corporation funded by cable and satellite affiliates that provides public access to daily political events such as congressional debates.

DocutickerDaily update of new reports from government agencies, ngo's, think tanks, and other groups. Search by keyword/subject.

GovtrackTracks legislation and votes in the United States Congress with email updates and RSS feeds. An open-source and community project.

Krogh Foreign Affairs Digital ArchivesDigitized episodes from three television series between 1981 and 2005: American Interests, World Beat, and Great Decisions (the latter in collaboration with the Foreign Policy Association). Topics covered: energy, human rights, media and communications, defense, environment, immigration, and terrorism.

OpenCongressNon-for-profit and open source site that brings together news and government data. Visitors can track and comment on legislators and legislation.

PolicyArchiveDigital library of public policy research with more than 12,000 policy documents from about 220 think tanks and research groups.

Scripps Library and Multimedia ArchiveA research source on U.S. public policy. Includes White House recordings, Presidential interviews, and audio & video recordings of the Miller Center Forums.

White House Official site for the Executive branch of the Federal Government. Includes speeches for the President and Vice President, press briefings, and information on appointments, nominations, and cabinet departments.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)The US EPA provides information on major environmental topics, including laws and regulations. The site includes a database that allows you to Search Your Environment by zipcode that includes public records.

ADA Home Page (United States Department of Justice)The Americans with Disabilities Act page by the Department of Justice provides tabs on the following interest areas: Design Standards, Information Line, Technical Assistance Program, Enforcement, Code Certification, Business Connection, Status Reports, New or Proposed Regulation, Mediation Program, and Publications. You can sign up to receive email updates.

Council of EuropeThe Council of Europe, founded in 1949, seeks to develop throughout Europe common and democratic principles based on the European Convention on Human Rights. There is a Human Rights tab on the website.

Country Reports on TerrorismAnnual report by the Secretary of State that examines terrorism around the world, terrorist safe havens, terrorist organizations, state sponsors of terrorism, WMDs, etc.

Freedom HouseOrganization that monitors freedom, democracy and human rights worldwide. They publish the following reports: Freedom in the World, Freedom on the Net, Freedom of the Press, Nations in Transit, Countries at the Crossroads, and Women's Rights in the Middle East and North Africa,

Human Development ReportsFrom the UNDP, the Human Development Reports is a annual publication that examines global progress. Includes data and statistics.

Human Rights Watch (HRW)Advocacy group defending human rights around the world. Site can be searched by country or by issue area. Many free documents can be accessed under the publications page. An annual film festival is held.

International Criminal CourtWebsite of the court, an international organization seated in The Hague, governed by the Rome Statute. It was established to convict crimes of concern to the international community such as the Criminal tribunals for Yugoslavia and Rwanda. They have a YouTube channel and a Twitter feed.

ReliefWeb A project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) it provides news, statistics, reports and other information related to humanitarian relief, including updates to crisis situations, refugee camps, and other relief efforts.

United NationsPortal to International Law and Human Rights from the United Nations. Includes links to international courts and tribunals such as the ICTY and the ICTR.

U. S. Copyright OfficeAccording to the U. S. Constitution, the Copyright Office was established, “To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and discoveries."

Copyright Clearance CenterThe CCC is a global rights broker for licensing content (primarily textual such as books, journals and magazines). Libraries, businesses, and organization use the service to quickly obtain permission and rights to use materials. They also have an Education page to assist in understanding copyright law.

Swank Motion Pictures Inc.Swank licenses films for non-theatrical use where public performance rights (PPR) are required. Although they do not work with all films in distribution, they are a great place to start when seeking rights. There is a special division called Movie Licensing USA that licenses feature films for K-12 and public libraries.

Freedom to TinkerBlog initiated by Ed Felten, Professor of Computer Science, Princeton University that explores legal regulation of technology. Numerous experts from Princeton's Center for Information Technology Policy now post to the blog.

Center for Social Media & Social ImpactSchool of Communication, American University. CSM is an organization that uses media for social action. The site includes many free documents including the Documentary Filmmakers' Statement of Best Practices in Fair Use, Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Scholarly Research in Communication, Honest Truths: Documentary Filmmakers on Ethical Challenges in Their Work, Code of Best Practices for Sustainable Filmmaking, and Clipping Our Own Wings: Copyright and Creativity in Communication Research. See the "Documents" page for additional resources.

Center for the Study of the Public DomainDuke Law site devoted to promoting global understanding of public domain issues. Includes the graphic novel Bound by Law that explores a filmmaker's exploration of copyright for a documentary film.

African Union Organization that promotes integration of African countries that promotes Africa's role in the global economy while addressing social, economic and political problems that come from globalization.

Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)Multi-national organization that aims to accelerate economic growth, social progress, and cultural development in the region, as well as justice and the rule of law as per the UN Charter.

Europa : European Union On-LineGateway to European Union. It provides up-to-date coverage of European Union affairs and essential information on European integration. Go to the Documents tab to connect to EUR-LEX (E.U. Law), the Bulletin of the E.U., and other agency materials.

JuriGlobe : World Legal SystemsA University of Ottawa research group that presents international law categories by legal system (civil law, common law, customary law and Muslim law) including mixed systems. It also lists countries by the language of their legal system.

United NationsPortal to International Law and Human Rights from the United Nations. Includes links to international courts and tribunals such as the ICTY and the ICTR. and Official Documents of the United Nations (ODS)Full text UN documents from 1993+; General Assembly, Security Council, Economic and Social Council, & Trusteeship Council from 1946+
; for data, see: UNdataUNdata pools major UN databases and those of several international organizations - browse, search and download data from a large number of statistical databases. Data categories include: agriculture, education, employment, energy, environment, health, human development, industry, information and communication technology, national accounts, population, refugees, trade, and tourism. or GapminderGapminder World provides both interactive charts and graphs of United Nation statistics, including life expectancy and income per capita. Many are interactive. It contains data on the local, national and global levels about social, economic and environmental conditions. This is product of the United Nations in conjunction with Google using Trenalyzer software.

World Court DigestDigest of international case law from the judgments, advisory opinions and orders of the International Court of Justice as well as in the separate opinions of individual judges.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)UNODC is a global leader in the fight against illicit drugs and international crime including: prison reform, money-laundering, organized crime, terrorism prevention, etc. Resources include data and analysis.

Media Law

Documents of American broadcastingKF2804 .D6 1984 Key documents including: The Wireless Ship Act of 1910; The Radio Act of 1912; The Radio Act of 1927; The Mayflower Doctrine (1941); The Fairness Doctrine (1949); The Red Lion case (1969); the Communication Act of 1934, etc.

A Legislative history of the Federal Communications Act of 1934KF2762.113 .A15 1989 Oxford University Press, 1989. Edited by Max D. Paglin. Part One: Commentaries; Part Two: Documents (Senate and House Reports and Hearings). The Communications Act of 1934 is included on p. 921-966. There is an index.

Legal Guide to Broadcast Law and RegulationIs designed to give the broadcaster a more comprehensive analysis and understanding of the many rules, regulations, and laws that effect broadcasters in their day to day operations.

Creative CommonsArtistic creators can assign works a CC license that explicitly grants degrees of permission for usage of personal works. The site includes images, audio, video, text and even lesson plans.

Media Law Resource Center (MLRC)Nonprofit clearinghouse to monitor developments on the First Amendment, libel laws, privacy, and other areas. The Public Resources tab includes libel FAQs, the MLRC bulletin, Articles and Reports, MLRC 50 State Survey, and news. Online Resources include: Lawsuits Against Bloggers, Reporters\' Privilege, State FOI Laws.

Music Copyright Infringement ResourceSponsored by the Columbia Law School and the Gould School of Law, this resource provides access to music copyright infringment cases from the mid-nineteenth century forward.

Reporters Committee for Freedom of the PressA nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free legal assistance to journalists since 1970." Users can sign up for news feeds. The Reading Room tab includes online issues of The News Media & The Law, a quarterly magazine (2000+). They also provide the following guides: The First Amendment Handbook, The Open Government Guide, and The Reporter's Privilege (examines reporter's privilege in each state).

American Association for justiceFormed by the Trial Lawyerrs Association of America (ATLA), this organization promotes a fair and effective justice system. Lawyers can become members and access professional resources.

Native American Law

Encyclopedia of Native American legal tradition REF F8204 . E53Integrating American Indian law and Native American political and legal traditions, this encyclopedia includes detailed descriptions of nearly two dozen Native American Nations' legal and political systems such as the Iroquois, Cherokee, Choctaw, Navajo, Cheyenne, Creek, Chickasaw, Comanche, Sioux, Pueblo, Mandan, Wyandot, Powhatan, Mikmaq, and Yakima

Lannan Audio and Video ArchivesLannan, an organization that supports artists and writers as well as Native activists in rural indigenous communities, has an Audio/Video tab on its hompage that contains a 15 year archive of events.

Pew Internet & American Life ProjectFrom the website, "The Project produces reports exploring the impact of the internet on families, communities, work and home, daily life, education, health care, and civic and political life. "

Public Opinion, Influence and Think Tanks

Public Opinion and Data:

Polling the NationsA compilation of public opinion surveys, containing the full text of questions and responses from 14,000 surveys from 1986 to the present in the United States and more than 80 other countries. Each record includes the polling organization responsible for the poll, the sample size and the date the poll was released.

Polling the NationsA compilation of public opinion surveys, containing the full text of questions and responses from 14,000 surveys from 1986 to the present in the United States and more than 80 other countries. Each record includes the polling organization responsible for the poll, the sample size and the date the poll was released.

Marist PollThe Marist Institute for Public Opinion (MIPO) is a survey research center at Marist college in Pougkeepsie, New York.

Siena Research InstituteSurvey institute founded in 1980 at Siena College, New York. In addition to national and state-wide polls, SRI conducts the Siena New York Poll that focuses on New York voter's sentiments.

Influence ExplorerA project of the Sunlight Foundation, the data on this site is provided by multiple sources: the Center for Responsive Politics, the National Institute for Money in State Politics, Taxpayers for Common Sense, the Project On Government Oversight, the EPAand USASpending.gov. The data aims to provide insight into the influence that goes into lawmaking.

Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)Site includes the following databases: Facts on International Relations and Security Trends; Multilateral Peace Operations; Data on Military Expenditure; Data on Arms Transfers; Data on Arms Production; Database on National Export Control Systems

Transgender Law & Policy InstituteContains an up-to-date listing of all laws in the US that are transgender-inclusive and resources and information on legal issues affecting transgendered and gender variant people in the US.

U.S. PIRGA federation of state Public Interest Research Groups that advocates for the American public on a variety of issue areas: product safety, toxins, health care, transportation, politics, media, taxes, higher education, etc.

Sports Law

Databases:

Sports Litigation AlertTracks legal developments as they occur in amateur and professional athletics as well as legislative issues that impact sports law professionals. Sports Litigation Alert features an extensive archive of case summaries and guest articles written by sports law professionals. It is published bi-weekly.